Parents are thrust instantly into the parenting role with very little time to digest and integrate experiences that may be considered traumatic, disappointing, overwhelming or life changing. Stemming from her personal journey into motherhood, Lindsay is passionate about supporting and empowering women as they take and retake this powerful journey. Maternal Connection was developed to offer a short term, deep and an intuitive approach for mothers and families to process unresolved material related to conception, pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum adjustment. We work with expectant and new mothers and their families, in our office or their home environment to process and integrate complex experiences at the cognitive, emotional, spiritual and somatic level. We aspire to create in our clients a deeper sense of trust the wisdom of their body, expand the capacity to experience the present moment, thus building the foundation for a secure attachment.

Pregnancy and the birth of a child can be one of the most intense physical and psychological experiences women will have in her life. The enormity of the experience can evoke all sorts of overwhelming and confusing emotional challenges. Women will often feel surprised, shame, confusion or fear about some aspect of their pre and postnatal experience with little or no opportunity or ability to reflect and understand the experience. These emotional states can feel like a rain cloud over an event making it hard to reflect on the event in its totality. Consequently, this can result in feeling disconnected from or bodies, our babies, our joy, and a clear picture of reality.

Is what I experienced Traumatic? Trauma is a subjective experience. Trauma is defined as any event that overwhelms a person’s capacity to cope. An event that is traumatic usually evokes feelings of helplessness, terror, a sense of failure, shame and sometimes rage. Here is a list of events that could be considered traumatic: family stress or marital conflict, domestic violence unwelcoming or fearful responses to discovery of the pregnancy, deliberation of abortion, death within family or close friend, loss of a twin during pregnancy or at birth, unexpected course of delivery, such as, prematurity, chemical induction of labors, very long or extremely short labor, baby stuck during labor, near death experiences, c-section, forceps, vacuum, deprivation of oxygen, cord wrapped around babies’ neck, anesthesia, separated from baby, postpartum anxiety or depression, hospitalization, adoption process.

​Current research in attachment theory and neurobiology suggests that traumatic experiences compromise a mother’s ability to regulate her emotions and autonomic nervous system (emotional dysregulation). In addition, a mother who is emotionally dysregulated becomes less available to attune to her child, attain balance, and sustain a deep connection to herself and her baby. I work with my clients to specifically address the issues, that may restrict their innate ability to be present, emotionally available and embrace motherhood fully.

The approach to treatment we take is to utilize mindfulness as a primary therapeutic tool to establish safety in the present moment. Mindfulness is taking a curious and nonjudgmental stance towards one’s experience as it is happening in the here and now. We utilize and develop each client’s unique resources to help support grounding and containment of difficult emotions and sensations. In doing so, we begin to reprocess the past in a safe, gentle and effective manner.

Who we see:

We specialize in issues surrounding pregnancy, childbirth and the post partum period.

High risk pregnancy

Pregnancy Loss

Body image related to pregnancy and postpartum

Biochemical trauma during pregnancy from poor nutrition, exposure to alcohol, nicotine, pesticides and other chemicals/drugs

Family stress or marital conflict

Unwelcoming or fearful responses to discovery of the pregnancy, or not being wanted in some part of the pregnancy

Deliberation of abortion

Domestic violence

Death within family or close friend

Prematurity

Chemical induction of labor

Unusually long or very quick labor

Baby stuck during labor

Cord wrapped tightly around the babies' neck

Deprivation of oxygen, C Section, Forceps, vacuum extraction

Separation from the mother after birth or for any extended period of time during infancy

Maternal postpartum anxiety or depression

Hospitalization of baby or Mother

Adoption

Transition to Motherhood

PARENTING GROUPS

Mommy and Me:This class is a highly interactive experience, with an emphasis on mindful, empathic parenting and optimizing your baby’s development through your relationship. We meet weekly for 75 minute classes, which would ideally continue throughout your baby’s first year.

The approach to parenting is individual. It is my intention to support new moms access the wisdom of their instincts and heart, while calming their new mom worries about “getting it right.” This is also a great opportunity to find new and supportive friendships with other moms, discuss weekly topics and learn songs and play designed to nurture attachment and learning.

Topics presented follow baby’s development during the first year, and include guidance for regulating sleep routines and feeding. The class also provides a safe haven for exploring the profound identity changes that come with motherhood in your marriage/partnership, friendships, work and within yourself. We become a bonded group that listens to and supports each other, and always make time for your questions. The topics covered include:

Bonding/Attuning Attachment/Separation

Myths of Motherhood

Making Time For Yourself and Your Relationship​

Safety and Health

Introducing Solids

The Happy Sleeper approach

Temperament

Language Acquisition

Reading and Signing

Power of Play

Science of Praise

Empathic Limit Setting

Childcare Guidance

Living with Technology

Preschool Overview

2nd Time Moms Groups: Second time mothers have an opportunity to ease their transition through honest sharing and exploration. The group gives second time mothers a chance to raise concerns and look at issues in a safe space. Together, we approach each topic and developmental stages from a mindful parenting perspective, which is essentially a slowed-down, less reactive, more intentional and reflective process. Some of the topics addressed will be:

Helping your first child adjust to the new sibling

Sharing practical information to support families

Find new ways to improve your time management skills

Make time for yourself and your relationship/partner

Develop practical strategies for balancing work and home life

Learn to feel good about yourself and your body

Meet other second time moms in neighborhood!

Explore ways to nurture the relationship between your children

Review what you may have forgotten about baby care, sleep, food etc.

We include the little ones and spend time in the beginning and at the end of class singing and interacting with them, but our discussions go beyond baby care and focus on your specific parenting questions and challenges as we navigate this journey mindfully. I offer you my passion for and expertise in interpersonal neurobiology and child development. We explore specific and practical ways to better understand our children and improve or relationships, with ourselves, our partners and little ones. Parents receive articles and highlights form some of my favorite books There is no obligation to read these articles or books. Do we really need more obligations? ​